Rookie inside linebacker aced added responsibilities

The Chargers inside linebacker was asked to shoulder extra responsibility vs. the Colts, with inside linebacker Donald Butler (groin) and outside linebacker Jarret Johnson (hamstring) inactive. The increased role was a large step up for the rookie, who has been eased back from a preseason foot injury that sidelined him about six weeks.

Johnson returned to practice Wednesday, a positive early sign for his availability Sunday against the Jaguars. Butler rested and rehabbed.

Usually, in games, Butler wears the in-helmet microphone on defense, relaying plays from coordinator John Pagano to the huddle.

On Monday, it was Te’o.

“If you call the wrong play, everybody’s going to play the wrong play,” Te’o said. “Everything is on you. You’re the only one with the mic out there. Nobody else can tell you, ‘That’s the wrong call.’ You have to hear it, deliver the message, make the checks. That’s a lot of responsibility.”

Pagano had him practice with the mic in the days leading up to the game.

The second-round pick said those reps helped, and he grew more comfortable with the role as the game progressed.

Te’o also had some of Johnson’s responsibilities on his plate. He typically can rely on Johnson to set the defensive alignment, making strength calls or moving the fronts, he said. Much of that job fell on Te’o, who credited Andrew Gachkar for helping handle the extra work.

“Manti was going to take care of that,” Gachkar said, referring to alignment. “I was going to take care of certain checks we had for certain plays. If it was base or it was nickel, then we had certain lines that needed to be checked or maybe set the blitz somewhere. But that would be the both of us. We tried to share the work. We love talking out there. That’s kind of our thing.”

No hard feelings

The Colts running back had dropped a fourth-quarter pass, caught the bounce off the grass and continued running.

Then, in came Colts guard Hugh Thornton with a heavy hit that blindsided Liuget. It was more than a little late.

“I think about three or four minutes passed by,” Liuget joked Wednesday. “The craziest thing is that is my teammate from college (Illinois). ... He did me dirty.”

Liuget is still sore from his thud on Jack Murphy Field, but he hopes the NFL doesn’t sting Thornton over it. The Colt was flagged for unnecessary roughness, sure to have caught the attention of the league office.

The first offense for a late hit costs $7,875, for hitting a defenseless player it’s $21,000.

To Thornton’s credit, based on broadcast replay, the whistle came as tardy as the contact.

“I don’t want him to get fined,” Liuget said. “That’s still my (friend). ... We spoke after the game. It was fine. He told me it wasn’t anything intentional, and we brushed it off. We’re fine.”